填空题A. Plan for the Financial Transition B. Examine Your Investment Portfolio C. Contribute to an IRA D. Save Before You Spend E. Max Out Your Retirement Plans F. Set a Retirement Savings Goal G. Review Your Own Retirement Plan Take Time to Review Your Retirement Game Plan One month into the new year, it's time to check in on your promises to yourself to start saving more for retirement. Fully 70 percent of Americans are concerned about not having enough money for a comfortable retirement, a recent Fidelity Investments study found. Here are strategies to boost your retirement savings in 2007. {{U}} {{U}} 1 {{/U}} {{/U}} "Pay yourself first, and find ways to invest automatically," says Heather Dzielak of Lincoln Financial Group. "Get in the discipline of setting aside money for your retirement." Many companies will let you automatically deposit part of your paycheck into savings or investment accounts. {{U}} {{U}} 2 {{/U}} {{/U}} Most Americans are counting on individual retirement accounts (IRA) to help fund their retirement. But as of 2004, only 29 percent of families owned an IRA or Keogh, with a median value of ＄30,000, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). The deadline for making a 2006 contribution to a tax-advantaged IRA is April 17, the date your federal tax return is due. {{U}} {{U}} 3 {{/U}} {{/U}} Be sure to contribute enough to get your employer's full match. "The way to really do well," says Ed Slott, author of Your Complete Retirement Planning Road Map, "is to keep putting more money in as much as you can. I try to fund all the retirement accounts I can to the max." You should also account for all 401 (k) plans you've had at previous employers and consolidate them in your current employer's plan or transfer them into a rollover IRA, says Dallas Salisbury, EBRI president. Rolling a 401 (k) over into an IRA allows you to avoid most fees and penalties. {{U}} {{U}} 4 {{/U}} {{/U}} Only 4 in 10 workers have actually calculated how much they need to save for retirement, according to EBRI. And many of those created their own estimate or guessed. It's a good idea to sit down with a financial adviser or use an online calculator or retirement worksheet. You should review your retirement accounts annually to make sure you are getting a good return on your investments. "Over the long term, diversified stocks and bonds should return you 7 percent," says Jonathan Pond, the author of You Can Do It! The Boomer's Guide to a Great Retirement. "The average investor makes about 4 percent." Pond recommends constructing a diversified portfolio and regularly monitoring it. {{U}} {{U}} 5 {{/U}} {{/U}} You'll need a plan to convert retirement savings into a stream of income. "It's the way you take it out that will determine how much you and your family keep and how much goes to the government," says Slott. "If you take it out the wrong way, it all goes back to the government." A financial adviser can help you determine the most tax-advantaged way to withdraw money from retirement accounts. You'll also want to double-check the beneficiary forms on all your retirement accounts. Says Slott: "Most people think that somebody else took care of this The beneficiary form is the key document that's going to determine who gets all this money you've saved."

填空题[A] The Need for Science[B] The Methods of Science[C] The Challenge of Unsolved Problems[D] The Specific Features of the Laws of Science[E] The Steps in Establishing a Scientific Theory[F] The Rapid Increase of Scientific Knowledge It is the business of the scientist to accumulate knowledge about the universe and all that is in it, and to find, if he is able, common factors which underlie and account for the facts that he knows. He chooses, when he can, the method of the "controlled experiment". 41. ______ In the course of his inquiries the scientist may find what he thinks is one common explanation for an increasing number of facts. The explanation, if it seems consistently to fit the various facts, is called a hypothesis. If a hypothesis continues to stand the test of numerous experiments and remains unshaken, it becomes a law. 42. ______ The "laws" of science differ from the "laws" of a country in two ways. First, a scientific law is liable at any time to need modifying. This happens when a fact is discovered which seems to contradict what the "law" would lead one to expect. The "law" may, in fact, have to be abandoned altogether. Second, a scientific "law" says, "This is likely to be the explanation", or "This accounts for the facts as far as we know them". But the "law" of the country says, "You must... " or "You must not... " The scientific "law" has no moral force; it is not binding on human behavior nor approved or opposed by human conscience. 43. ______ The evidence as to the vastness of the universe and the complexity of its arrangements continues to grow at an amazing rate. The gap between what we know and all that can he known seems not to diminish, but rather to increase with every new discovery. Fresh unexplored regions are forever opening out. The rapidity of the growth of scientific knowledge, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, is apt to give students and teachers the impression that no sooner is a problem stated than the answer is forthcoming. A more detailed study of the history of science corrects the impression that fundamental discoveries are made with dramatic suddenness. Even in our present age no less than fifty years separate the discovery of radioactivity from the explosion of the first atomic bomb. The teacher, giving his brief accounts of scientific discovery, is apt to forget the long periods of misunderstanding, of false hypotheses and general uncertainty, which almost invariably precede the clear statement of scientific truth. 44. ______ The vast mass of information which scientists have gained has provided the answer to the fundamental questions which, through the centuries, have puzzled and sometimes tortured the human mind. There are many such questions. The study of parasites has provided evidence that organisms which could be self-supporting have become parasites, but hardly any light has been shed on the problem of why they should have done so. What enables an organism to respond to the poisonous secretions of harmful bacteria and organize its resources to defend its life? 45. ______ To raise the standard of living in any country, two things are required, scientific knowledge, and a population sufficiently educated to understand how to apply it. Without the latter, the expected benefits will not come.

填空题[A]Manyofthepartnershipsactasvirtualpharmaceuticalcompanies,bringingtogetherexpertisefromfarafield.TheDrugsforNeglectedDiseasesinitiative,forexample,hasdrawntogetherbasicresearchfromacademicsinVenezuela,moleculesfromJapaneseandFrenchdrugmakers,clinicaltrialsinEthiopiaandmanufacturingbyBrazilianfirms.[B]However,itisnotjustpoorcountriesthataremissingout.Forexample,thereisanurgentneedfornewantibioticsinindustrialisedcountriesasdrag-resistantbacteriaemerge.Yetantibioticdevelopment—oncethecornerstoneofthedrugindustry—hasfallenoutoffavourwithBigPharmafirmsbecauseofscientifichurdlesandregulatoryrequirements.[C]Afewbigdrugmakers,suchasGSKandNovartis,whichinheritedaninterestintropicaldiseasefromtheirparentfirms,havechosentoinvestinatleastearly-stageR&Dinmalaria,tuberculosisanddengue,withaviewtopartneringlateron.Theyaremotivatedmainlybyphilanthropy,butalsowanttopolishtheirimageandhopetoselltotravellersandtoarisingmiddleclassindevelopingcountries.[D]Askabigdrug-companybosswhyheisinthebusinessofmakingpharmaceuticals,andhewillsayhewantsto"addressunmetmedicalneeds".Butnotallmedicalneedsareequallyattractive.Mostofthe7,500-plusmedicinescurrentlyindevelopmentbybiotechandpharmaceuticalcompaniesareforchronicdiseasesoftherichworld.Atthesametime.someofhumanity'snastiestafflictionsgetlittleattention.Tropicaldiseases,suchassleepingsicknessorleishmaniasis,areaturn-offfordrugmakersbecausetheystrikemainlyinpoorcountriesandofferlittlehopeofanattractivereturnoninvestment.Ofthe1.500orsodrugslaunchedoverthepast30years,fewerthan20dealspecificallywithtropicaldisease.[E]Thequestionishowtogettheproductsoutofthepipelineandtothepeoplewhoneedthem.DevelopmentcostscanbelowerthaninBigPharma,inpartbecauseclinicaltrialsfordiseasessuchasmalariacanbesmaller,fasterandthereforecheapertorunthanfor.say,Alzheimer'sdisease.Evenso.ChristopherHentschelheadoftheMedicinesforMalariaVenture.reckonsitwillcostatleast$100tobringjustodeofitsproductstomarket,somuchmoremoneyisneeded.[F]Onewayofgettingattentionforneglecteddiseasesisforpatientstotakeaction.Forexample,theALSTherapyDevelopmentFoundation.startedbyJamesHeywood,whosebrotherwasstruckdownbythisneurodegenerativedisease,isusingitsmodestbudgettotesthundredsofcompoundsinmiceandmenmthehopeoffindingatreatmentforALS.[G]Anotherrouteistolaunchpublic-privatepartnerships.Drugcompaniescontributemolecules,manpowerandmachinestonot-for-profitgroupsthatco-ordinateproductdevelopment,fundedmainlybyprivatesourcessuchastheGatesFoundation,withsomegovernmentmoney.Therearenowabout20suchpartnerships,focusedondevelopingnewdrugs,vaccinesordiagnosticsforparticulardiseasesofthedevelopingworldthatwillmakethemaccessibletopoorpopulations.Order:

填空题 Long before Man lived on the Earth, there were fishes, reptiles, birds, insects, and some mammals. Although some of these animals were ancestors of kinds living today, others are now extinct, that is, they have no descendants alive now.{{U}} (41) {{/U}}. Very occasionally the rocks show impression of skin, so that, apart from color, we can build up a reasonably accurate picture of an animal that died millions of years ago. That kind of rock in which the remains are found tells us much about the nature of the original land, often of the plants that grew on it, and even of its climate.{{U}} (42) {{/U}}Nearly all of the fossils that we know were preserved in rocks formed by water action, and most of these are of animals that lived in or near water. Thus it follows that there must be many kinds of mammals, birds, and insects of which we know nothing.{{U}} (43) {{/U}}. There were also crablike creatures, whose bodies were covered, with a horny substance. The body segments each had two pairs of legs, one pair for walking on the sandy bottom, the other for swimming. The head was a kind of shield with a pair of compound eyes, often with thousands of lenses. They were usually an inch or two long but some were 2 feet.{{U}} (44) {{/U}}. Of these, the ammonites are very interesting and important. They have a shell composed of many chambers, each representing a temporary home of the animal. As the young grew larger it grew a new chamber and sealed off the previous one. Thousands of these can be seen in the rocks on the Dorset Coast.{{U}} (45) {{/U}}. About 75 million years ago the Age of Reptiles was over and most of the groups died out. The mammals quickly developed, and we can trace the evolution of many familiar animals such as the elephant and horse. Many of the later mammals though now extinct, were known to primitive man and were featured by him in cave paintings and on bone carvings. [A] The shellfish have a long history in the rock and many different kinds are known [B] Nevertheless, we know a great deal about many of them because their bones and shells have been preserved in the rocks as fossils. From them we can tell their size and shape, how they walked, the kind of food they ate. [C] The first animals with true backbones were the fishes, first known in the rocks of 375 million years ago. About 300 million years ago the amphibians, the animals able to live both on land and in water, appeared. They were giant, sometimes 8 feet long, and many of them lived in the swampy pools in which our coal seam, or layer, or formed. The amphibians gave rise to the reptiles and for nearly 150 million years these were the principal forms of life on land, in the sea, and in the air. [D] The best index fossils tend to be marine creature. There animals evolved rapidly and spread over large over large areas of the world. [E] The earliest animals whose remains have been found were all very simple kinds and lived in the sea. Later forma are more complex, and among these are the sea-lilies, relations of the star-fishes, which had long arms and were attached by a long stalk to the sea bed, or to rocks. [F] When an animal dies, the body, its bones, or shell, may often be carried away by streams into lakes or the sea and there get covered up by mud. If the animal lived in the sea its body would probably sink and be covered with mud. More and more mud would fall upon it until the bones or shell become embedded and preserved. [G] Many factors can influence how fossils are preserved in rocks. Remains of an organism may be replaced by minerals, dissolved by an acidic solution to leave only their impression, or simply reduced to a more stable form.

填空题Just as 2001 was coming to an end, the USA TODAY-CNN-Gallup Poll(盖洛普民意测验) asked Americans if they were satisfied with the way things are going in the country. Surprisingly, 70 percent said yes. 41)______ What makes the number even more remarkable is that the 70 percent satisfaction index (指数) is among the highest the Gallup Poll has measured in the nearly 30 years it has been asking the question. Moreover, the satisfaction rate has usually been lowest in times of economic difficulty. For example, in June 1992, with the economy in recession, just 14 percent said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the country. This time around, while most Americans are concerned about the economy and the accompanying threat of job losses, they're not letting the uncertainty get them down. 42)______ 43)______ Some analysts suggest that it is merely whistling past the graveyard. But other analysts say it is more a reflection of the indomitable(不屈不挠) and generous American spirit that showed itself so dramatically in the aftermath(不幸后果) of Sept. 11 (9.11). Rather than pull down the shades and hide under the bed in the face of further terrorism threats and the grim realization that the united States is not as invulnerable as most once thought, Americans poured into the streets and came together in a unity of purpose and resolve not seen since World War II. They rallied around the president and strongly supported the use of military force to combat terrorism. 44)______ Are 70 percent of the American people really satisfied with the way things are going in the country right now? 45)______ Yet, there is something running through the Am0rican psyche that causes it to refuse to give in to despair. Call it naive. Call it foolish. Call it wlfistling past the graveyard. Whatever it is, it's good to see. With spirit like that, we can be sure that this too will pass. A. At the same time, Americans showed their compassion not only in their generous contributions to funds to aid the thousands of families of victims of the attacks, but also in their support for sending humanitarian aid to the people in war-torn Afghanistan and their insistence that women there be given equal rights With men. B. Three of 4 say they expect the economy to be better a year from now. C. Americans are not frightened by terrorism, but showed a particular mood or an emotional state characterized by vigor and animation. D. So how can we explain this unexpected expression of optimism that appears to be sweeping through the population? E. Probably not. Terrorism threats are still with us. Unemployment is up to 5.8 percent. F. Terrorism is unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the, intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons. G. Think about it. Less than four months after the most devastating foreign attack in the nation’s history, and with an economy still in recession, one might think most Americans would be in a sour mood and unlikely to think positively about much of anything. Yet, 7 of 10 expressed an upbeat outlook.

填空题Directions: For Questions, choose the most suitable paragraphs from the list A-G to fill them into the numbered boxes to form a coherent text. Paragraph E has been correctly placed. There is one paragraph which does not fit in with the text. Mark your answers on the ANSWER SHEET. A. The first and more important is the consumer"s growing preference for eating out; consumption of food and drink in places other than homes has risen from about 32 percent of total consumption in 1995 to 35 percent in 2000 and is expected to approach 38 percent by 2005. This development is boosting wholesale demand from the food service segment by 4 to 5 percent a year across Europe, compared with growth in retail demand of 1 to 2 percent. Meanwhile, as the recession is looming large, people are getting anxious. They tend to keep a tighter hold on their purse and consider eating at home a realistic alternative. B. Retail sales of food and drink in Europe"s largest markets are at a standstill, leaving European grocery retailers hungry for opportunities to grow. Most leading retailers have already tried e-commerce, with limited success, and expansion abroad. But almost all have ignored the big, profitable opportunity in their own backyard: the wholesale food and drink trade, which appears to be just the kind of market retailers need. C. Will such variations bring about a change in the overall structure of the food and drink market? Definitely not. The functioning of the market is based on flexible trends dominated by potential buyers. In other words, it is up to the buyer, rather than the seller, to decide what to buy. At any rate, this change will ultimately be acclaimed by an ever-growing number of both domestic and international consumers, regardless of how long the current consumer pattern will take hold. D. All in all, this clearly seems to be a market in which big retailers could profitably apply their scale, existing infrastructure, and proven skills in the management of product ranges, logistics, and marketing intelligence. Retailers that master the intricacies of wholesaling in Europe may well expect to rake in substantial profits thereby. At least, that is how it looks as a whole. Closer inspection reveals important differences among the biggest national markets, especially in their customer segments and wholesale structures, as well as the competitive dynamics of individual food and drink categories. Big retailers must understand these differences before they can identify the segments of European wholesaling in which their particular abilities might unseat smaller but entrenched competitors. New skills and unfamiliar business models are needed, too. E. Despite variations in detail, wholesale markets in the countries that have been closely examined—France, Germany, Italy and Spain—are made out of the same building blocks. Demand comes mainly from two sources: independent room-and-pop grocery stores, which unlike large retail chains, are too small to buy straight from producers, and food service operators that cater to consumers when they don"t eat at home. Such food service operators range from snack machines to large institutional catering ventures, but most of these businesses are known in the trade as "horeca": hotels, restaurants and cafes. Overall, Europe"s wholesale market for food and drink is growing at the same sluggish pace as the retail market, but the figures, when added together, mask two opposing trends. F. For example, wholesale food and drink sales come to $168 billion in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom in 2000—more than 40 percent of retail sales. Moreover, average overall margins are higher in wholesale than in retail; wholesale demand from the food service sector is growing quickly as more Europeans eat out more often; and changes in the competitive dynamics of this fragmented industry are at last making it feasible for wholesalers to consolidate. G. However, none of these requirements should deter large retailers (and even some large good producers and existing wholesalers) from trying their hand, for those that master the intricacies of wholesaling in Europe stand to reap considerable gains. Order: 16 → 17 → 18 → 19 →E→ 20

填空题Several months ago, planning to visit a friend hospitalized with AIDS, I asked a doctor whether I should take any precautions. "You're more of a risk to him than he is to you, "said the doctor, Fred Valentine, an associate professor of medicine at New York University Medical Center. "You might have a cold or some minor infection that would be very serious for him if he caught it because he has no resistance." The risk to me, the doctor said, was almost nonexistent. (1) . Doctors now think they understand how it infects, can test whether someone has been exposed to the virus, and know how to prevent its spread to others. (2) . AIDS is a silent epidemic. According to recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), since 1979, 15, 172 people in the United States have been diagnosed as having AIDS, and 7, 111 of them have died. These numbers are doubling every 10 to 12 months. Another 60, 000 to 120, 000 people have AIDS-related-complex (ARC), a milder form of the disease which will turn into AIDS in 5 to 20 percent of the cases. (3) . Dr. Harold Jaffe, chief epidemiologist of the AIDS task force at the CDC, says that over five years perhaps 10 percent of the people carrying the virus will get AIDS. Another 25 percent will develop ARC. Since in a majority of cases AIDS is fatal—at least so far—the death toll could be enormous. Though the medical community is overwhelmingly convinced that AIDS can't be caught by causal contact that is what most people worry about. Part of the problem is semantic. Doctors are taught never to say "never" because there's no such thing as 100-percent certainty in science. (4) . But the facts do speak strongly against transmission of AIDS through casual contact. To begin with, no researcher has found a single case contracted that way. Of all the AIDS cases reported in the past five years, not one resulted from sharing a residence, a school-room or an office with another AIDS patient, says Dr. Jaffe. (5) . Theoretically, there is a small risk from a barbershop shave with a straight edged razor (which may produce a minute amount of bleeding) if the razor has been contaminated with AIDS-carrying blood and left uncleaned. A similar situation holds if bleeding occurs during a manicure and the instruments are contaminated and not disinfected between customers. A. For example, dental patients aren't thought to be at risk. Instruments are sterilized by boiling, or autoclaving—the use of superheated steam under pressure. Either would kill the AIDS virus if it were present. Furthermore, most dentists use disposable needles for injections. B. AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) was identified only four years ago and is still as mystifying to the public as it is frightening. Though a great deal remains to be learned about the disease, the store of information is increasing quickly. C. Nor have any friends or family members who have tended AIDS victims come down with the disease, unless they had sexual contact with the victim. "Mothers who've taken care of sons through their terminal illness, handling blood, body secretions, vomit—none of them has caught AIDS." says Dr. Valentine. D. Because 392 AIDS victims contracted AIDS from contaminated blood given in a transfusion or from blood products used to treat hemophilia, many people worry about giving or receiving blood. To begin with, it is impossible to get AIDS by giving blood. A new, sterilized needle is used for each donor and is disposed of afterward. E. More disturbing is that as many as 1.2 million Americans may have antibodies to the virus, and a majority of these may be carrying it, even though they have no symptoms. Some of them can spread the disease. F. Though the public's attention has been focused on fears of casual contact with AIDS victims, medical authorities agree that the disease is not easy to catch. Indeed, the key to containing AIDS lies in two areas of contact that is anything but casual: sex and sharing intravenous drug needles. But sex and drug abuse are things that people can control. Research indicates that worries of this sort are unfounded. G. So researchers say things like "There's no evidence of casual spread of AIDS". The public, not recognizing the underlying principle, is suspicious and tends to overestimate the uncertainty.

填空题US President Bush has been having a difficult summer. Recent polls show a considerable decline in public approval of his conduct of the nation's business, yet in just few weeks voters will decide whether he or Democrat John Kerry is to be the next president. If things are going so badly for Bush, then Kerry must be doing well, right? 41)__________. His public appearances kindle little enthusiasm. His TV ads sway few viewers. As a result, Kerry supporters tend to be more anti-Bush than they are genuinely pro-Kerry. Democratic strategists point out that Kerry has a pattern of coming from behind to win political races. And even though Kerry stirs little excitement, many Americans are quite eager to learn whom he will choose as his running mate. A popular vice presidential candidate could energize his campaign, especially since there is little chance that President. Bush will dump the much-loathed Richard Cheney from the Republican ticket. Most observers agree that Kerry is not a particularly strong candidate for the US presidency. He tends to be respected, but he arouses little enthusiasm.42)__________But then, two weeks ago, the Republicans counterattacked vigorously, end the race is once again wide open. The public's generally positive impression of Senator's Kerry's character is based in large part on his record during the war in Vietnam, when he performed heroically as the commander of a "swift boat", a light military craft used by the US Navy to thread the rivers and canals of southern Vietnam. The crew of his old boat are united in their praise of him. 43)__________.Two weeks ago they began appearing in stingingly negative TV ads aired in crucial states where currently undecided voters will probably determine the outcome of the election. And the ads were effective, drawing independent voters away from Kerry. In the meantime, Kerry's own crewmen have strongly rejected the new version of events. 44)__________Journalists quickly turned up links between the navy veterans and Texas fat cats who had long supplied the Bush family with funds for political campaigns. These rich folks were in turn linked to Karl Rove, Bush' s masterful political strategist--his very own Zhuge Liang. 45)__________. Cartoonist David Horsey, like many other observers, thinks Karl Rove is up to his old tricks; a similar effort--in this case, untraceable slanderous rumors during a key primary race--undermined popular Republican Senator John McCaine's campaign for the GOP nomination in 2000. In today's cartoon Rove is portrayed as the puppeteer controlling Bush' s wealthy supporters in Texas (notice the Texas-style cowboy hat). The hand puppet in turn seems to be manipulating another, smaller puppet that represents the angry swift boat veterans.A. Nonetheless, thanks to the slow economic recovery, the difficult situation in Iraq and changing perceptions of President Bush's competence, he seemed to be on the road to a very narrow victory in November.B. But leadership, you know, isn't about taking the easy route; it is about making the tough, sometimes unpopular decisions. President Bush has demonstrated that he can make tough decisions, and I personally like the fact that his faith end his values are the foundation of his decisions.C. Not exactly. Americans outside Massachusetts, which Kerry represents in the Senate, seem to find it hard to relate to the Democratic candidate.D. While Bush would dearly love to undermine Kerry's image, he cannot afford to be seen doing so. (His own military record, after all; makes a sorry contrast with Kerry's.)E. Are the ads the Bush campaign in action or just the vengeful protest of naval officers whose leadership was questioned in a recent biography of Kerry? It costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to make such an ad and buy air time; so many people immediately suspected that wealthy Republicans were behind the effort.F. However, a group of navy veterans (all present in the same area of Vietnam as Kerry and during the same period, some as senior officers, others as crewmen not on Kerry's boat but on other, similar craft) have denounced Kerry in a book that came out last month. They allege that he did not deserve the medals for valiant leadership he won in the war.G. Kerry remains an unknown quantity to most Americans, but better known Democrats are much in the news. Examine the publicity posters in the cartoon. In both upper comers are ads for ex-President Clinton's lengthy autobiography, My Lif

填空题[A]Whatelsemightbewrong?Money?Germany'sspendingperpupilisabitbelowtheOECDaverage.ButsoisBritain'sandBritishpupils,tothesurpriseofmanythere,figuredinthetopteninallthetests.Theorganisationofschooling,then?Thatwouldbehardmjudge.Educationistheresponsibilityofthecountry's16distinctLander(states),andthevarioussystemstheyuserangefromthehighlyselectivetothefullycomprehensive.[B]Thereismoreofaclue,perhaps,tobefoundintheteachingforceitself.Germany'sschool-teachersarerelativelywellpaid,buttheyaretoofew:Germanyhasoneofthehighestpupil-teacherratiosamongOECDcountries,andinmanysubjectsanacuteshortageofteachers.Norarenewonesflockingin:two-fifthsofallteachersareover50.Oneinthreeadmitstofeeling"burntout”;nearlythree-quarterstakeearlyretirementonhealthgrounds.Inevitably,thequalityofteachingsuffers.[C]"Shocking","scandalous"and"catastrophic",politicians,parentsandeducatorshavewailedinunison.AndbeneaththeaveragefigureslieothersevenmoreshockingforGermany'sdeeplydemocraticburghers:evidenceofawidegap---oneofthewidestfoundbytheOECD'sresearchers--betweenGermany'shighest-performingstudentsanditslowest.Nearlyaquarterofits15-year-oldscouldnotreadandunderstandasimpletext.NotthatGermanycantakemuchcomfortfromtheachievementofitspupilsattheotherendofthescale.Only28%ofits15~year-oldsreachedthestudy'stoptwolevelsofreadingability,comparedwithhalfinFinland(whichwasrankedfirstoverall)andoverathirdinadozenothercountries.[D]Otherexplanationsabound.OneistheGermanzealforrotelearning,ratherthanforteachingchildrentothinkforthemselves.Anotheristheinadequatesupportgiventoweakerstudents,andtherequirementthatanypupilwhogetspoormarksinjusttwosubjectshastorepeatthewholeyear.Mostoftheother15-year-oldpupilsinvolvedintheOECDstudywereallinthesamegrade,havinggoneupwiththeircontemporariesasagroup;theGerman15-year-oldsspannedfourgrades,becausesomanyhadhadtorepeatayearormore.[E]Howcanthisbe?Whateverelse,Germanyisfamousforitsthoroughness.Itstechnicaleducationwasoneofthewondersofthe19thcentury,andlongafter.Whathasgonewrong?Almostasalarmingasthefigures,noonecantell.Blamingthelargenumberofstudentsofforeigndescent,whoaccountforoneintenpupilsinGermanschools,isnotanadequateexcuse:German-speakingAustria—yes,easy-goingAustria-cametenthinthereadingtests,althoughithasasimilarproportionofpupilsofforeigndescent.[F]SomepeopleblameGermany'scompressedschoolday,whichstartsat8amandusuallyendsat1.30pmor2pm.Manyparentswouldlikealaterstartandalongerday.SomeLanderaretryingoutall-dayschooling,butsofaronlyonasmallscale.Thebigneed,runsanotherargument,isformorefleekindergartenplaces,tohelp,inparticular,childrenfromnon-German-speakingimmigrantfamilies.Atthetopofthescale,ithaslongbeenarguedthatmorepupilsshouldbeencouragedtogoontohighereducation.Atpresent,only28%doso,comparedwithanOECDaverageof45%—andonly16%emerge(typically,somesixyearslater)withadegree.Sincethereportwaspublishedlastweek,Germanshavebeenrackingtheirbrainsoverallthesequestionsandmore.Nooneyethastheanswers.ButmanyGermansarealreadyconvincedthatnothingshortofa"culturalrevolution"throughouttheeducationsystemisnowrequired.[G]Theshameofit[finanewstudyofschoolpupils'performancebytheOECD,Germany,theworld'sthird-biggesteconomicpower,the"landofpoetsandthinkers",wasrankedamiserable21stoutof31countriesforthereadingabilitiesofits15-year-olds,20thinmathematicsand20thinscience.Acountrylongproud--andseeminglywithreason--ofitsrecordineducationhasbeenshownupasaDummkopf.Itsgovernmentandcitizensalikeareinatizzyofalarmandself-doubt.Order: